


New Horizons

by starryskeyess



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Animal Crossing References, Fluff, M/M, They were roommates!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24190669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryskeyess/pseuds/starryskeyess
Summary: Shiro's head over heels for his quiet, darkly funny roommate, and shoots his shot over Animal Crossing postcards. Only he realizes maybe Keith wasn't *actually* flirting with him and desperately tries to remedy his mistake.Shiro’s eyes grow wide as he reads the note, “I want to express my appreciation and love for all that you do for me, Shiro. That’s why I decided to get you this gift. I hope you like this starry sky wall! -from keith”He feels warm all over.  He has been wanting this wallpaper forever, but none of them had the recipe.  Keith must have gotten it recently, which is surprising, because he thought Keith would have told him.  He rereads the message over and over, wondering what it means.  It’s not how Keith usually talks, but the sentiment seems genuine.Yeah I have no excuse for this.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 54
Kudos: 209





	New Horizons

**Author's Note:**

> I saw this cute idea on Twitter and ran with it!
> 
> chat with me on twitter! @/starryskeyes

Finding roommates online is always a gamble. Shiro has had plenty of roommates, most of them decent, and a few that were awful. He’s learned the red flags by now, and manages to usually screen out anybody who’s too impossible to live with, but this is the first time he’s actually _liked_ his roommates. Their 3-bedroom flat is large enough to not have to not be too smushed together, but they end up voluntarily hanging out, something Shiro’s never experienced before.

Lance, definitely the more social and outgoing of the bunch, kicks things off by inviting Shiro to watch movies with him and his girlfriend on the weekends. It’s nice, Lance is chatty and often talks over the movies, but he’s funny and his commentary makes the experience altogether more entertaining. Eventually their third roommate, Keith, starts joining them. Movie nights turn into Sunday brunches, and soon they’re all honest to goodness friends. 

Keith has a quiet presence, dark, but edged with humor. He seems almost startled when Shiro laughs at his quietly muttered jokes. Keith’s eyes will widen at the sound, slow smile softening his sharp edges. Shiro can’t get enough.

Playing Animal Crossing has brought them even closer, somehow. Shiro remembers the first night they all got the game, and spent hours playing. It was a change from their usual game nights, but a welcome one. Their other friends came over often to all play together, and it became a regular group activity.

Their personalities all shine through in how they choose to play the game. Keith’s island looks haphazard, with seemingly no planning or structure at first glance. But Shiro had watched him play enough to realize that Keith does have a strategy, and that things were placed in the exact pattern Keith wants, so he can complete tasks efficiently. 

Lance, on the other hand, is all about the _aesthetic._ He only wants ‘cute’ villagers, and constantly despairs when ‘ugly’ ones move in instead. Shiro thinks it’s rude to intentionally push people out or call them ugly, even virtual characters with no feelings, but Lance insists that it is the way to win the game. He also competes with Keith constantly, always wanting to compare stats and come over to Keith’s island to do recon. He made the mistake of inviting Keith over once, and Keith spent his time randomly moving things on Lance’s island to less convenient locations. Even Shiro couldn’t help but laugh at Lance’s reaction.

But Keith only ever lets Shiro come over. He has a ‘Shiro room’ in his house, filled with furniture and decorations that Shiro likes. They always visit each other when there are meteor showers, choosing to stand together and wish on shooting stars. Shiro has a whole folder of screenshots of his and Keith’s characters standing together, under the night sky. He often imagines going stargazing with Keith in real life, laying together in the grass, taking in the cosmos. 

They’ve played late into the night, and Keith excuses himself to bed around midnight. He’ll probably be up for a couple more hours, Shiro knows, but Keith needs some time to decompress alone before he can sleep. He pads into his room down the hall with a soft smile, and Shiro’s heart goes with him.

A few minutes later, as Shiro’s brushing his teeth for bed, he gets a text from Keith.

**12:13 AM Keith: Hey, check your mailbox :)**

Curious, Shiro finishes up and climbs in bed, turning on his switch. His little mailbox icon is glowing, and he opens it up to find something from Keith. He opens the note, white text on a starry night background. Even without reading the words, Shiro’s smiling. All of the space themed items are his favorite.

Shiro’s eyes grow wide as he reads the note, “I want to express my appreciation and love for all that you do for me, Shiro. That’s why I decided to get you this gift. I hope you like this starry sky wall! -from keith”

He feels warm all over. He has been wanting this wallpaper forever, but none of them had the recipe. Keith must have gotten it recently, which is surprising, because he thought Keith would have told him. He rereads the message over and over, wondering what it means. It’s not how Keith usually talks, but the sentiment seems genuine. 

It’s late, and Shiro is so tired of hiding his feelings. He thinks that maybe, maybe there’s a chance that Keith is interested in him too. He’s been too afraid to risk their friendship, the easy way they are together, for something more. 

Shiro makes his mind up, and heads to his airport.

He picks out a postcard, and starts typing out a message.

“I appreciate everything you do for me too. Thank you for the wall, I love it. I’d love anything you send me, baby. -from Shiro”

In the morning, he might blame his tired mind, or how cute Keith looked in his PJ’s before he disappeared to his room, but Shiro has been calling him baby in his mind for months. He’s been dying for the right to say it for real, _out loud,_ and now here they are. He’s wondered, at times, if Keith might like him back--he definitely cares about Shiro, they’re friends, and he shares sides of himself with Shiro that he doesn’t seem to with others. His dreams for the future, the pains of his childhood, his errant thoughts and observations. 

He thinks about deleting the message. It’s not like Animal Crossing is a normal place to make a move on your best friend slash roommate, but they’ve never been all that normal. His fingers hover over the buttons as he thinks. He takes a deep, shuddering breath, and makes a decision. 

It’s done. He did it. _Oh god, he really did it._

He tosses and turns for hours, over thinking and worrying. When sleep finally takes him, it’s with Keith’s face in his mind, and seared into his heart.

-

The next day finds Shiro on the couch, fresh from a shower after his late morning run. The miles he jogged this morning burned off some of his anxiety and excitement, but not all. Lance is sprawled across the loveseat near him, lazily scrolling through his phone. Shiro’s buzzing with energy, nearly crawling out of his skin in anticipation. His eyes are dragged over to Keith’s door every few seconds, almost against his will. Did he read the message last night? Is he still sleeping? 

Shiro checks his game and his phone, just to make sure he hasn’t missed an answer, but there’s nothing. 

He’s saved from his overthinking by the quiet creak of Keith’s door opening, and the other man emerges.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Shiro calls, a smile in his voice. Keith’s clothes are rumpled, hair sticking out in a million directions, and Shiro’s heart flutters a little. He looks _adorable._

Keith’s smile is just for him, shifting quickly into a grimace when he looks up and sees Lance sprawled across the love-seat. 

Lance drawls, “Yes, good morning my beautiful sunbeam.” Keith rolls his eyes and makes his way into the kitchen, a sleepy zombie on the search for a cup of coffee. His soft footfalls are a familiar melody.

Shiro smacks Lance’s calf, the only part of him he can reach from his seat on the couch, and hisses, “What the heck was that?” He just knows Lance is making fun of him or Keith, but he isn’t sure which. Shiro’s eyes narrow on Lance’s frowning face.

“What? I was just following your example and giving Keith my love!” Lance whisper-shouted, rubbing his calf with one hand. 

“What?! Thats, that’s not--good morning sunshine is a totally normal greeting!” Shiro counters, his voice a match to Lance’s. 

“Yeah, if you’re a mother greeting her five year old, or you’ve been married for fifty years,” Lance says, smirking. He’s been aware of Shiro’s crush for months, and does his best to bring attention to it whenever Keith’s around. Luckily for Shiro, Keith ignores ninety percent of the things Lance says in general

Keith walks back in just in time to save Shiro from responding, and settles onto the couch next to Shiro, Switch balanced on his knees so he can hold his coffee cup with both hands. The steam swirls around his face and winds through the tendrils of his hair, escaping a messy ponytail. Shiro’s fingers itch with the urge to tuck those strands behind his ear, sweep them out of his face with reverence. 

He busies them with his game, running around his island making sure to say hi to all of his islanders. Early on in playing, Shiro had learned that if he wasn’t intentional about talking to them, they would get sad. He knows virtual characters can’t actually _feel_ sad, but still.The rest of his friends knew about the possibility of characters moving out, and were all astonished when Shiro, three drinks and four hours of playing into the night, started crying. He had informed them, lip wobbling, that he had _neglected_ his virtual friend, and they had abandoned their home over it. 

Shiro had cried guilty tears into Keith’s sweatshirt that night, desperately searching the internet for hacks to reverse what had happened, with no success. Ever since then, he had taken care every time he opened the game to say hello to everyone, even the characters who wouldn’t, couldn’t, leave even if he did something wrong. Nobody deserved to be ignored.

Keith had comforted him, patting his back gently while Shiro sniffled and mumbled about how awful he was to the poor little hamster, how he had made him feel so unwelcome he left his only home.

“Jesus, this is worse than when he played Detroit!” Lance had yelled, hooting his laughter.

Shiro had turned on him, his third glass of wine circulating in his veins and breaking down his legendary patience. “You told me they were going to shoot me! You made me shoot the lesbian android for no goddamn reason, she just wanted to escape and be happy with her _girlfriend_!” Keith, familiar with the argument, had pulled Shiro back into his chest, shushing him and squeezing him tight. The crinkle of Keith’s smile wasn’t ridicule, but fondness.

It was true, Shiro almost never played games that involved fighting or killing others, especially realistic ones. He had no stomach for violence. And now, in an entirely unsurprising turn of events, he loved playing a game about building community, featuring catching butterflies and making friends.

Shiro sets about his routines in the game, and listens to Lance narrate his own play. For some reason, the other man seemed to believe they all want to know whenever he accomplishes even the smallest tasks.

“Aww, Keith! You sent me a present!” Lance says, in a sing-song voice, “Wonder what it is.”

“You’re a dumbass, it’s a cutting board,” Keith retorts. His eyes narrow and he glares at Lance over his mug.

“What?! I’ve been needing one of those for weeks! You just, just sent me one for no reason?” Lance’s game is ignored in favor of staring at Keith.

“You said you needed it!” Keith’s more exasperated than actually angry. He’s sitting up straighter, bristling like a cat. Keith has never been comfortable with recognition, especially when someone calls out his acts of kindness. He pretends to be all rough edges and sharpness, but Shiro knows those are just strategic walls to hide how caring Keith truly is.

It’s one of the hundreds of things Shiro loves about Keith, has loved about him for months. But Keith has always been like a wild animal, likely to run at the first too-fast movement. So Shiro has contented himself with their easy friendship, with affectionate nudges and secret smiles and exasperated sighs at their ridiculous roommate.

Until now, that is.

Ignoring Keith’s indignance, Lance starts reading aloud, “I want to express my appreciation for all that you do for me. That’s why I decided to get you this gift. I hope you like your shiny new cutting board! Aww, Keith! You are so sweet!”

Shiro’s stomach drops. _Oh. Oh, no._

Keith’s brow furrows deeply, and Shiro isn’t sure if the steam curling around him is from his hot coffee or spilling out of his ears. His voice is even louder when he answers, “That’s not-! You are so stupid! That’s what they all say, I didn’t write it!”

Shiro’s heart sinks low, keeping his stomach company. He thinks back to the message he got from Keith--it was the exact same, wasn’t it? Keith wasn’t flirting with him, or sending him a cute message, he just sent a pre-written note! God, he was actually the stupid one, reading too much into a message in a game. A silly childish game, at that.

Immediately his mind starts racing. Maybe he can get to Keith’s switch and delete the message before he sees it? He’s staring at the console sitting in Keith’s lap, without subtlety. Keith, always attuned to Shiro’s movements, notices quickly.

“Shiro, what are you looking at?” Keith asks, looking down at himself, searching for something that might have caught his best friend’s attention.

Shiro stutters, trying to come up with something intelligent or strategic, but all he manages is, “Oh, um, well…”

Keith holds his mug a little higher, asking, “Do you want some coffee?” He smiles at Shiro as he makes the offer, and Shiro forgets what he was so worried about.

Just for a moment, though. Then the panic comes back full force.

He nods, and eyes Keith’s mug with uncertainty. “Probably not some of yours, though, since I doubt you’ve suddenly changed your coffee preferences.” Shiro makes a face then, startling a laugh out of Keith.

“No, I didn’t wake up this morning and decide to switch my delicious hot coffee with a sugary monstrosity, sorry. But I made a whole pot, I can go get you some.” Not waiting for an argument, Keith gets up, striding on long legs to the kitchen. His Switch is lying on the arm of the couch, and Shiro blinks slowly in surprise. That was… easier than he expected it to be.

He reaches casually for Keith’s Switch, tucking his own against his leg. Luckily Lance is immersed in his own play, and doesn’t notice. Shiro powers the console on and opens Animal Crossing, wincing at how loud the music is. His island tune is notably different than Shiro’s, a melody that Keith created. Normally Shiro loves the sound, but now he hurries to turn the volume down. 

He probably only has a minute to get this done, so his hands shake as he rushes through the opening sequence, smashing buttons in the desperate hope of moving things faster. He’s opening up Keith’s mailbox, and the sappy letter he sent, when Keith re-emerges from the kitchen.

Shiro looks up into Keith’s wide, surprised eyes, and their gazes catch. He has no explanation, no excuse. Keith looks between Shiro’s face and his hands, where he’s holding Keith’s Switch and staring up at Keith like a deer in headlights. 

“Shiro, what are you…?” he asks. Keith walks forward and Shiro can’t make himself move for a second. It isn’t until Keith has set his coffee on the side table and steps closer that he’s spurred into movement, returning his eyes to the screen in his hands, so close to his goal. But the Switch is snatched from his hands by Keith’s slender fingers and Keith sits next to him again. Shiro lunges for the console, held out of his reach by Keith. 

The grapple gently for it, and Keith yells, “Shiro! What the hell, man!” 

Shiro is undeterred, using arms and legs to get the upper hand, but Keith is quick, slipping out of Shiro’s grasp every time. Keith gets a bare foot on Shiro’s chest and pushes, firmly but gently, and Shiro slides off the couch, landing with a hard thump on his butt. They both freeze, Shiro sitting on the ground with Keit’s foot still holding him back, Keith holding his Switch for dear life and staring down at Shiro. 

“Please, Keith, just let me…” Shiro pleads, but Keith looks down, reading his screen intently. HIs pupils move back and forth, reading the message at least twice, before he looks back at Shiro.

Shiro knows he must look like a puppy who got into trouble, sitting on the floor, held in place by the barest pressure of Keith’s foot. More than anything, what keeps him frozen is his hope, as Keith looks between him and the screen, brows slashing together in confusion. He sees Keith mouth the word ‘baby’ slowly, silently.

“You… but…” Keith’s tone is hard to read. Lance watches them from his perch on the loveseat, eyes ping ponging between their faces. His confusion is visible, and growing by the second.

“I thought you… the message last night. I thought that meant something it didn’t. I’m so sorry, Keith,” Shiro says, eyes searching Keith’s face. For what, he’s not entirely sure. Keith’s expression changes, he’s not confused anymore. He looks hurt? Even a little angry.

“Sorry? So you didn’t mean this?” he asks, holding the Switch up towards Shiro, like an offering, or a plea. 

Shiro tries to sit up straighter, to move towards him, but for some reason, Keith’s foot is still on him and he’s rigid, not giving Shiro any ground. He reaches a hand up slowly, wrapping his fingers around Keith’s slender ankle. The other man’s leg relaxes, only slightly, at the touch.

“I just--I meant it. I mean it. I’m sorry if I overstepped, or made you uncomfortable. Truly, I am,” Shiro says, imbuing his words with as much sincerity as he can muster.

Keith’s eyes race over him, his eyes, his lips, his hand still wrapped around Keith’s leg. The furrow in Keith’s brow smoothes out slowly, and it’s almost possible to see the gears turning in his head as he thinks. Warmth and determination flare in his eyes, and he seems to make a decision. Shiro steels himself for a gentle rejection, letting Keith’s foot drop gently to the floor.

What he doesn’t expect is Keith lunging into his arms, knocking them both askew in his eagerness. He doesn’t expect Keith’s lips crashing into his, graceless and overeager and _perfect_. He finds his balance and wraps his arms around Keith’s lean frame, pulling him harder against him. Shiro cradles Keith’s head in one of his hands, gentling the kiss into something sweeter, less desperate.

Keith’s hair feels even better against his fingertips than Shiro had imagined, and he had imagined it _a lot_. He breaks the kiss with a smile, and their foreheads press together, anchoring them, keeping them from floating away. Shiro laughs softly, almost soundlessly, and soon Keith follows. 

Lance’s voice, loud and abrasive, shatters the bubble around them. “Oh my god. Finally!”

Keith snakes his head around Shiro’s to glare at Lance, spearing him with his gaze. Lance raises his hands in surrender, and Shiro feels a laugh bubble out of him, uncontrollable and wild. He raises his hands to his own face, laughing into them, hiding his embarrassment and joy and bewilderment from the world. 

“Shiro?”

He meets Keith’s gaze, and the world narrows to just the two of them again. He’s close enough now to make out the specks of blue and black in Keith’s dark purple eyes, to see the barely-there scar on his cheek and the freckle just above his upper lip. He’s never been this close to him, and he’s bowled over by the beauty inches from his face.

His voice rumbles low and warm when he answers, “Yeah, baby?”

Keith’s eyes darken with promise, then his lips are on Shiro’s again. Fire courses through Shiro at the contact, and he thinks he groans in pleasure, but honestly he’s not sure. All he knows is Keith--Keith’s arms around him, Keith’s weight in his lap, Keith’s tongue teasing against the seam of his lips.

Shiro opens for him and Keith licks into his mouth, making his own noise, like a deep growl in his throat. Lance groans and gets up, muttering about _why he had to live with animals_ and how they should _get a damn room that wasn’t this one_ but Shiro and Keith are oblivious to his complaints. They’re lost in each other, communicating in kisses and touches and soft exhalations. The only sign that either of them even notice his departure is Keith’s hand raised behind Shiro’s back, making a rude gesture at Lance as he complains.

They’re still sitting on the floor, tangled together in a mess of limbs, when Lance leaves, and for a while after. They spend the day talking, and kissing, and brainstorming stories they can tell their friends and families about how they got together that don’t involve raccoon landlords. After a few hours they realize that Lance will have already told everyone what happened, and accept their fates.

They’re laying in Shiro’s bed that night, relishing in their newfound affection and comfort. Shiro can’t stop touching Keith’s hair, running his fingers through it, twirling strands around his fingers gently. He whispers quietly, unsure if Keith has already dozed off, “Hey, Keith?”

Keith hums sleepily in response.

“When did you get the starry sky wall recipe? I’ve been looking for it for ages, I didn’t think you had it.” 

Keith makes a noise, Shiro would almost call it a squeak, if it was coming from anyone else. He burrows deeper into Shiro, hiding his face. Shiro waits patiently, trusting Keith to answer.

His voice is muffled against Shiro’s skin when he responds, “I… bought the recipe from someone online.”

“What? Why?”

Keith finally raises his head to meet Shiro’s gaze, vulnerability in his eyes and a light blush blooming across his cheeks. But like always, he faces Shiro head on, brave and straightforward. “For you.”

“For… me?”

“Truth is, Shiro, your message might have been a _little_ different from the one I sent Lance. You were right, as usual. Also, I know how badly you wanted that wall, so I went out and found it. It’s not a big deal, I just gave someone something for it, there’s like a whole Animal Crossing black market out there, apparently.” He laughs softly and Shiro can’t help but join.

“So, how much did you pay for it?”

“Just a few bells,” Keith hedges.

“A few?”

“Like… a million or so.” Keith mumbles.

“A million?! Keith, that’s so much!” Shiro can’t hide his shock at the number, or at the thought that Keith would spend all that money on him. Even after the day they’ve spent together, he still can’t believe this brave, headstrong man would do something that thoughtful… for Shiro. He’s bowled over for a moment by how truly lucky he is.

“Well I think you’re worth it...baby,” Keith says, his tone low and promising. Shiro quirks an eyebrow at the name, but follows it with a kiss. Then another, and another, and another.


End file.
